Mounting armatures for dynamo-electric machines



Patented NOV. 14, 1893.

E. D. PRIEST.

(N0 Model.)

MOUNTING ARMATURES FOR DYNAMO ELECTRIC MACHINES.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDVARD D. PRIEST, OF LYNN, ASSIGNOR TO TI-IE GENERAL ELECTRIC d COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

MOUNTING ARIVIATURES FOR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of yLettersPatent No. 508,634, dated November 14, 1893.

Application tiled May l5, 1893.

To a/ZZ whom t may con/cern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD D. PRIEST, a citizen of the United States, and a resident ot Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Mounting Dynamo-Electric Armatnres, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the mounting of dynamo elect-ric armatures, particularly such as are large and heavy, together with their commutators, upon axles or shafts in such manner as to secure a slight independence of movement, and is of especial importance in so far as relates to armatures for heavy railway motors when no intermediate gearing between the armature and its axle is used, but the armatureismounted directly upon the car axle and rebvolves therewith. In case ,intermediate shafting is used between the armature and the driven axle to reduce the speed of rotation the advantages secured by the use of the invention will still remain, though the difculties to be overcome are not so great in the latter case as in the former. The problem of mounting such a heavy but highly organized structure as a large armature and commutator, so as to drive the axle directly and yet have a certain freedom of movement withV respect thereto to avoid the ill effects of heavy blows when the car is traveling over the track, which effects are increased with every increase of dead-weight supported on the axle, is one of the most difticult which the electrical It has been customary to mount the armature upon a hollow sleeve encircling the axle and to bring the sleeve and axle into engagement with each other by parts'permittingacertain degree of independent motion of the sleeve and axle, thus preventing the direct communication to the armature of the blows to which the axle itself may be subjected. Such a construction isnot entirely desirable, being costly, noisy and heavy. By my invention I do away with the hollow sleeve, and also with the intermediate clutching mechanism above referred to; and I lnount the armature and communtator directly upon the solid axle of the vehicle, whereby the latter is driven di- Serial No. 474,199. (No model.) A

rectly, but the shocks imparted to the wheels are not transmitted to the a rinature or commutator as they are in the ordinary cases Where the parts are all rigidly secured together.

In my invention I mount the armature upon the axle with an interposed elastic medium whereby it can have a slight freedom of movement in all directions, but 'the revolution of the armature in either direction is imparted directly to the axle while any sudden shock to which the axle may be subjected is very much reduced in intensity before it reaches the armature. I also very much prefer and in large armatures I find it essential, that the commutator and armature be rigidly secured together so that any motion of one is shared by the other. This is necessary to avoid the breaking of the leading wires connecting the armature wire or coils to the commutator segments', the constant bending or vibration of such wires, even when they are made of such Van elastic metal as steel or phosphor bronze,

tending to render them crystalline and brittle as is well known.

In the accompanying drawings hereby referred to and made part of this specification, and which show an embodiment of my invention, Figure l, is a longitudinal section and Fig. 2 a transverse section taken upon the line`2, 2, Fig. l, of an armature and commutator mounted according to my invention, only the frame work of the armature being shown for clearness of illustration.

In the drawings, a collar, B, preferably made of cast steel is closely fitting the shaft and arranged to be keyed thereto in the usual manner. This collar has radial projections, or teeth T, extending toward an outer collar Bf, in turn encircling the collar B, and provided with projections, such as T', extending toward the collar B, and alternating in position with the teeth T. This outer collar B slips into the hub C of the armature spider and is keyed so as to revolve therewith. In the interstices or open spaces a, a ,extending between the collars B, B is placed any suitable elastic material, such as rubber, leather, or other elastic substance. It is preferred to employ rubber as it is durable and very elas- The rubber may be vulcanized in a strip tic.

having the form of the opening a and be squeezed or pressed into place between the teeth T T', but the preferred method is to place the collars B, B in proper relative position, fill the space between the teeth with soft rubber, and then vulcanize it in place. In this way the rubber can also be secured against longitudinal displacement by pockets P, P', made in the collar B' or B, which the rubber may occupy for this purpose, although the strips mentioned can also partly iill these pockets and accomplish the same purpose if they are forced in under considerable pressure. The space between the teeth T, T and the adjacent surface of the other collar is clear of rubber or other elastic material as otherwise the cushioning effects of the main bulk of the rubber are not secured. I may also in some cases employ thin tubes of metal, preferably of steel, of greater or less number according' to the size and weight of the armature,in place of the rubber cushions which I have shown and described; in such case I select a size of tube and gage of metal therein, which will be adapted to sustain the weight readily and yet yield sufliciently to accomplish the purpose of my invention. This and all other mele modifications I aim to embrace by my claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and wish to protect by Letters Patent of the United States, isp l. In combination, a shaft, a sleeve keyed thereto, a second sleeve secured to an armature, one of the sleeves being provided with pockets, and an elastic medium between the two sleeves and filling the pockets.

2. In combination, a shaft, a sleeve secured thereto and provided with outwardly extending projections, a second sleeve surroundingr the first and provided with inwardly extending projections, the ends of the projections being cut away, one of the sleeves having pockets, and an elastic medium between the sleeves and the projections and filling the pockets.

3. The combination with a shaft, of an inner sleeve carried thereby and having projections upon its exterior, an outer sleeve surrounding said inner sleeve and having projections upon its interior, a yielding or elastic support between said sleeves, and an armature and its commutator rigidly secured to said outer sleeve.

4. The combination with a shaft of an encircling` metal ring adapted to carry a heavy revolving structure such as an armature and commutator secured upon its outer face, and an elastic medium interposed between the shaft and ring and adapted to carry the outer revolving structure, said elastic medium being powerfully compressed into position between said shaft and ring.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this l2th'day of May, 1893.

EDWARD D. PRIEST.

Witnesses:

JOHN W. GIBBoNnY, BENJAMIN B. HULL. 

